A. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates generally to earth-working tools for use in gardens, landscaped areas, agricultural fields and the like. In particular, the present invention relates to hand cultivating tools that are utilized for preparing the soil for planting and for removing weeds and other growth from around plants and other objects. Even more particularly this invention relates to garden hoes and the like.
B. Background
Hand cultivating tools are generally well known and commonly utilized to work the soil. One such tool is the standard or garden hoe, which has long been an essential gardening tool for the home and commercial gardener to prepare a plot of land for growing fruit, vegetable or ornamental vegetation. The standard hoe, in its simplest form, comprises a long wooden handle having a flat steel blade at its lower end that is positioned generally perpendicular to the handle. Typically, the garden hoe is utilized to manipulate the topsoil, as well as a portion of the subsurface soil, for purposes of aerating the soil, breaking up of large dirt clods and removing weeds and unwanted grasses in order to prepare an area for cultivation or improve a cultivated area. The blade of the standard garden hoe is configured to strike the soil and penetrate its surface so as to cut the roots of the unwanted weeds and grasses and permit the soil to be turned over onto these plants as a way of hindering their growth.
Over the years, a number of improvements have been made to the standard hoe. One such improvement was the introduction of the Hula Hoe. As is well known, this cultivating tool comprises a generally square or rectangular shaped blade portion that attaches to the bottom end of an elongated handle with a U-shaped earth working blade distally disposed from the end of the handle. A pair of side members extend toward the handle from the centrally disposed distal cutting blade portion, which has one or more cutting edges thereon. The side members attach to the ends of a blade support member that extends outward from the end of the handle in spaced apart relation to the distal blade portion to define the generally square or rectangular shape. This common cultivating tool is used to remove grass, weeds and other undesirable plant growth from a garden or other cultivated area by pulling and pushing the hoe, typically in a back and forth motion, across the area to be cleaned such that the cutting blade glides under the soil surface to sever the roots of the undesirable vegetation.
A number of improvements to such hoes have been patented. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,943,690 to Towt describes a pendulum cultivating tool having a U-shaped earth working blade with its upper ends inwardly bent such that they are received inside the ends of an elongated sleeve that is fixedly attached at the end of an elongated handle. The upper ends of the U-shaped blade and the open ends of the elongated sleeve are cooperatively sized and configured such that the U-shaped blade pivots relative to the sleeve to provide a pendulum action for the blade. The amount of the pendulum movement of the blade is limited by the engagement of its ends with the open ends of the sleeve. U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,031 to Portz describes a pendulum type hoe that also has a U-shaped blade which pivots in relation to the handle. Each of the upper ends of the blade engage a slot in a bracket attached to and extending downward from the end of the handle. The slots are sized and configured to allow the ends of blade to pivot in relation to the brackets. U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,212 to Malson, Sr. describes a pendulum action cultivating hoe having a U-shaped blade that is pivotally attached to a downward turned U-shaped bracket which is fixedly attached to the end of a handle. Each of the downward side arms of the bracket have an upwardly curved slot which slidably receives a rod that is attached to the U-shaped blade to allow the blade to pivot relative to the bracket.
One of the primary limitations of the prior art standard hoe and the cultivating hoes described above is that they are difficult, if not nearly impossible, to effectively utilize around the bottom of plants which have low hanging growth or along the side of objects, such as rocks, decorative stones, benches, walls or the like where it is necessary to get under the edge of the object to remove weeds, grass or other unwanted vegetation. As well known to those who work in gardens or fields, weeds or grass will often grow along the bottom of a plant in an area under a portion of the plant. Use of a standard hoe or one of the hula-type hoes in this area has a significant risk of damaging the plant or any fruit or vegetables that may be growing thereon. Around objects such as decorative rocks, walls or other structures, a standard hoe or one of the U-shaped hoes described above is unable to get under or at the edge of the object to remove unwanted vegetation. The primary impediment to use of the standard hoe in either of the circumstances described above is the depth of the relatively large flat blade, which can damage the cultivated plant when trying to remove unwanted vegetation or which cannot be positioned sufficiently under or along the object to remove the unwanted vegetation. The primary impediment to the use of the hula-type hoe in these circumstances is the upwardly extending side arm members of the U-shaped blade, which can damage the cultivated plant and prevents the cutting edge of the blade from getting under or along the edge of the object.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved cultivating tool that has the benefits of the prior art hoes but which is configured to easily fit around and under plants and under the edge of objects to remove weeds, grass and other unwanted vegetation therefrom. More specifically, what is needed is an improved cultivating tool that achieves the hand-weeding and soil manipulation benefits of a standard garden hoe with the ergonomic advantages of a hula or oscillating hoe and which can be utilized around or under a cultivated plant without harming the plant and under the edge of objects to more effectively remove weeds, grass and other unwanted vegetation from a cultivated area. The preferred cultivating tool should be lightweight and configured in a manner that results in a relatively inexpensive tool to manufacture.